Improvement in locomotive head-lights



y c. T. HAM. LOCOMOTIVE HEAD-LIGHT.

No.`188,130. Patented March 6,1877.

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OOOOOOOO N. PETERS, FHOTO-UTHOGRAPHEH, WASHINGTON` D C.

UNITED STATES CHARLES T. HAM, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TOBUFFALO PATENT OFFICEu STEAM GAUGE AND LANTERN COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCOMOTIVE HEAD-LIGHTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 188,130, dated March 6,1877; application filed December 6, 1876.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES T. HAM, of

the city of Rochester, in the State of New York, have invented certainImprovements in Head-Lights for Locomotives, of which the following is aspeciiication:

My invention relates to certain improvements in the construction ofburners for locomotive head-lights, by which the intensity andsteadiness ot' the light are increased, and the removal of the burnerfor repairs is facilitated.

My improvement consists, in the rst place, in an interior perforatedcone within the perforated shield and deliector, surrounding the base ofthe flame and the upper portion of the wick-tube, for the purpose ofincreasing the steadiness of the light, and producing perfect combustionby properly regulating the currents of air supplying the outside of theflame. It also consists in a supplementary reservoir located underneaththe main reservoir, and communicating with it through a small opening inits bottom, by which arrangement the motion of the oil in the upperreservoir caused by the vibration of' the locomotive when running isprevented from affecting the light. It also consists in a detachableconnection between the burner and the oilreservoir, to facilitate theremoval ol" the burner for the purpose of making repairs; and it alsoconsists in a screw-connection, by which the pinion, rod, and handleused for elevating the wick are attached to the wicktube in such amanner as to be readily disconnected when desired. 4

In the accompanying drawings, Figui-elisa front view of a burner andreservoir for locomotive head-light embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is aside view, partly in section, of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view,showing the mode of connecting the pinion for raising the wick with theburner.

Similar parts are indicated by the same lettering in the variousdrawings.

In Fig. 1, A is the burner; B, the main reservoir, which is of the usualform, curved in front to tit the reflector; and C, the lower orsupplemental reservoir, which communicates with the upper reservoir Bthrough an opening, a, Fig. 2. The burner is attached to the lowerreservoir C by the tube D, Fig. 2, through which the oil is fed. Thewicktube consists of two concentric cylinders, E and E', Fig. 2, closedat their lower ends, and in the annular space between which the wick israised and lowered by means of the ring Gr, rack H, and pinion b.Surrounding the vupper portion ot' the wick-tube is a tube or jacket, I,supported in proper position on the outer cylinder E ofthe wick-tube bythe ring J, which does not close the space between them. Thejacket Icarries at its upper end the perforated shield K and detlector L. Theshield K is curved outward and perforated with openings, as shown in thedrawings, and forms at its upper end a chimney-gallery, c, Fig. 2. Thededector I curves inward from the chimney-gallery about its base, isopen at the top, and perforated with a row of holes, as shown in Fig. 1.At its base, where it bends outward to join the shield K, a row ofperi'orations is made, as shown at c, Fig. 2. Above the detlector isplaced the button O, upon a rod tted to a tube, d, attached to theinterior of the wick-tube E. Inside the shield and deflector is placed acone of perforated sheet metal, P, Fig. 2, which extends from below thelower row oi' perforations in the shield K to above the row of openingsin the deector. An annular chamber is hereby formed between theperforated cone and the shield, through which the air to supply theexterior of the flame circulates. The perforated cone regulates anddistributes the currents of air, supplying the flame so evenly thatperfect or nearly perfect combustion is the result of its use. Itproduces a light of great whiteness and intensity, and increases itssteadiness. It may be used, in connection with the other parts, eitherwith or without the jacket I, the principal ofce of which is to protectthe reiector from becoming tarnished.

The inner wick-tube E is open at bottom, and the burner terminates atits lower end with a cylinder of perforated metal, R, which protects therack H and its tube from injury. Below the main reservoir B is placed asupplementary-reservoir, C, (shown in Fig. 1,)

communicating with the burner by means of the supplytube D. The bottomof the upper reservoir B forms the top of lower reservoir C, and isperforated with a small opening, a, Fig. 2, which opens into a tube, v,placed lengthwise ofthe upper reservoir. This tube is bent at either endinto a right angle, at the extremities of which, .L' a', Fig. 4, the oilfrom the upper reservoir enters the tube on its way t0 the lowerreservoir through '.he opening a. blo long as any oil remains in theupper reservoir, the lower reservoir is certain to be full, and theresult of this arrangement is, that the fluctuations of the oil in theupper reservoir, caused by the motion ofthe engine when running, areprevented from affecting the steadiness of the light. As the supply fromthe lower reservoir to the burner is constant, the motion of the oil inthe upper reservoir cannot affect the steady flow of oil to the burner,and thereby produce a ickering ofthe light; and as the bottom of thelower reserv voir is placed some little distance below the opening ofthe supply-tube D, any sediment there may be in the oil is allowed tosubside to the bottom of the lower reservoir.

The supply-tube D is detachably connected with the burner by means of anut` S, Fig. 2, which screws onto a hollow boss, g, soldered to theouter wick tube E. A conical seat is formed in the outer end ofthe bossg, against which a corresponding face on the end of the tube D is drawnby the nut S. The tube D extends beyond the conical face, and is tittedto the opening in the boss g, as at i, Fig. 2.

thereby securing additional strength in theY joint. The conical surfacesare ground to gether, and by this arrangement the burner and reservoirare firmly, yet detachably, con nected together without the use ofgaskets or packing of any kind.

The rod m, Fig. 3, terminates at its inner end in a cone, l, to whichthe pinion b is secured. The spiral spring r, pressing against thehand-wheel T on the rod m, draws the cone l into a seat formed toreceive it in the inwardly-projecting portion of the nut U, by whichmeans a tightjoint is formed about the rod m. A conical joint is alsomade between the outer end of the boss t and the nut U. By thisconstruction the pinion b and its attachments may be entirely removedfrom the burner by nnscrewing the nut U from the boss t, while at thesame time leakage of oil is eectually prevented. Y Y

I claim- 1. The combination of the annular wicktube E, perforated shieldK, and detlector L with the inner perforated cone P, extending above andsurrounding the upper end of the wick-tube, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the annular Wicktube E, jacket I, perforatedshield K and detlector L, and the inner perforated cone P, substantiallyas set forth.

3. The combination, in a locomotive headlight, ofthe upper and lowerreservoirs B and O, opening a, supply-tube D, annular wicktube E,perforated shield and detlector K and L, and the inner perforated coneP, substan tially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, in a head-light, of a burner and oil-reservoir,connected by theY supply-tube D, fitted to the boss g, with a conicaljointand extension, i, and nut S, substantially as set forth. Y

5. In combination with the pinion b, the rod m, provided with the conel, spring 1", boss t, and nut U, constructed and operating substantiallyas and for the purposes set forth. CEAS. T. HAM. Witnesses:

THEODORE BACON, GEO. B. SELDEN.

